Co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/313,643 filed Nov. 21, 2008 discloses a new autonomous hull robot including turbines drivable by water flowing past the hull while the vessel is underway. The turbines operate (e.g., power) the cleaning and the drive subsystems of the robot.
The flow of water past the hull of a vessel may vary in direction over the length of the hull. In addition, there may be times when the hull robot must maneuver around obstacles on the hull. It may also be desirable to traverse the hull at different angles for optimal cleaning and/or inspection operations.